I don't know if anyone else has seen it yet (I just saw the link to it on Galactic Hunter myself), but WM.com has opened their ROTS "store" online. Even though they aren't available to order yet, I noticed that the first wave of 12" dolls (Sidious, Clone, and Grievous) are priced at just under 19 bucks. This is actually very interesting news, considering the fact that WM last sold the 12" dolls at a 25 dollar price point (not counting the VOTC from last fall), and I figured they'd be gouging for every dollar they could get during "The Last Hurrah."

So, if you're looking to pick these up, it looks as if WM (for now) will have the best price on them.

If you plan on opening up this one for display - KEEP THE RUBBERBANDS!!His hands will NOT hold these sabers without them!! I never usually cut the rubberbands and this is the one time it worked in my favor. You will need these to hold the sabers up. I have loaded some images to my 12" doll page below. Awesome figure though, cape is well made and I love the detailing on the back. You can separate his arms (see picture) to four distinct positions or combine them into two. No place to hang the extra sabers if you go with two hands but then I am not exactly sure what I should look for since I haven't seen the movie yet

I just loaded images of Darth Sidious and I have to say, the saber is what makes this one so perfect. His hand holds it well and he has plenty of articulation for battle poses just wish they would have given him a full black shirt instead of a half turtleneck. The cape is full and thick and he has black pants and boots underneath with the half-shirt. The face is really good (really pale, which makes it all the more creepy with the hood up). I was surprised as I didn't think I would like it that much. The hood is just the right size so you can drap it forward and cover the top of his head completely, place it directly on top of his head (and still not look "too" roomy) or just drap it down the back.

Added the clonetrooper as well. I like this one since I will be able to put him in various poses (standing, running, kneeling) so I am going back to buy more of him. All in all, great job by Hasbro and I am can't wait for the 12" female jedi!!!

Well, I've had two days to sit and simmer on this, and I have to say that the 12" Anakin/Vader Ultimate Villain doll is the most disappointing item I have gotten thus far. At first I thought it was just me needing to get used to how it worked, but after 2 days and several hours of trying to get it to do what it is advertised as being able to do (changing Anakin into Vader and all), I've simply given up. I'm so discouraged that I actually sent Hasbro an email telling them how in the 27 years or so that I've been collecting SW, and other Hasbro products like Joes and TFs in the 1980's, no other product has made me more frustrated and upset to the point of writing a letter than this doll.

Basically, for those of you who haven't opened it up, the Anakin uses the older, mid-90's Joe body. So he's bulkier, to be sure, but that's not the problem. The problem is that the ankles on this body are not articulated and it makes putting the boots on nearly impossible. The lower legs are one solid piece and the boots, being boots, are very tall, reaching almost to the knees of Anakin and all the way past on Vader. The material used for the boots is too rigid to roll them down, and it took me an hour just to get one Vader boot on and another two before I finally gave up on the second one and redressed him as Anakin.

This kind of goes into what Tydirium has been saying about Hasbro's recent "They're toys and meant to be played with!" attitude on their website, because the action features on the small figures, while questionable in quality, are only a 6 dollar mistake. This entire figure/doll is based on the premise of being able to change outfits and due to his feet and boots, you can't even do that without large machinery and the Force itself apparently. As I told Hasbro, if I, well-educated and possessing fine motor skills, am unable to put boots on a doll, what hope does a 10 year old kid (their target audience that they always talk about) have of doing so?

So, yeah, Anakin/Vader is back in his box (after an hour spent getting his Anakin boots back on and I'm really regretting the 45 dollars I spent on it. Naturally, K-Mart won't take it back since it has been opened, so I'm (for the moment) stuck with a 12" Anakin/Vader that is useless to me.

Wow, very sorry to hear about the poor quality of Vader/Anakin and really sorry K-mart won't take it back. I never opened mine yet and I'm glad I didn't. I will probably be returning mine now since I wanted to be able to change them back and forth when the mood suits me and since it's not going to be an option, back to Target he goes. I do appreciate you sharing this, though, as it saved me a giant headache (and some cash too).

Thank you for the kind words, jadesfire, but after all, it is only a toy (at least that's what I keep telling myself). I'm going to try and see what K-Mart could do (even if it's just store credit, I would go that route before getting a replacement that would have the same problem), but I'm actually curious to hear what Hasbro's response to my letter is (if any).

I just find it really disheartening that this doll, which by all rights should have been the centerpiece of the ROTS toy lineup overall, ended up having a major flaw that affects its ability to do what the box and all the marketing implicitly states it does.

I'll let everyone know if/when I hear back from Hasbro. I'm not wanting a replacement or anything like that (although if they did a new one with the new style body, with articulated ankles, I probably would take that), but I'm actually more worried about people buying it en masse and taking it home to the kids only to find out that Vader has to get around barefoot unless they want to cut the backs of the boots in half.

EDIT: Update 1-I just finished speaking to someone at K-Mart's 800 number regarding the situation. According to this phone representative, since I still have the original packaging (sans the rubber bands) and the register receipt, and since it is still in the 90-day return window, she stated that I should have no problem returning the Vader for a refund. When I mentioned to her that I had bought the doll at a K-Mart store quite a distance from where I lived and asked if I could return it to a closer K-Mart (like you can with Wal-Mart), she stated that it should not be a problem, but to call and speak to the manager and explain the situation to him before I made the trip out there. I will update tomorrow morning when I know something for sure.

Something about that Anakin/Vader just doesn't look right to me. Aside from the $45 price tag, I mean. I've already got 2 good 12" Vaders and a crappy Anakin, so I feel like this is enough. I passed on the new Anakin/Vader 12" on 4/2 and I'm glad I did.

I'm really digging the packaging on these new 12" figures too, so much so that I've been unable to bring myself to open them up just yet, but that might change very soon. I'm still undecided if I want to pick up another of each, since I don't keep any of my 12" collection boxed, but the packaging on these just kicks so much ass I may have to.